Scientists often build new protein molecules by stringing groups of amino acids together. These amino acid chains, called polypeptides, are the building blocks needed in drug development and the creation of new biomaterials.
The process for building polypeptides is difficult, however. Researchers report that they have developed a faster, easier and cheaper method for making new polypeptides than was previously available. The new approach uses a streamlined process that purifies the amino acid precursors and builds the polypeptides at the same time, unlike previous methods in which the processes were separate, laborious and time-consuming.
Traditionally, making polypeptide chains has been a very complicated process, said the senior author. Synthesizing and purifying the amino acid precursors, namely N-carboxyanhydride, or NCA, requires days of tedious effort, and building the polypeptide chains takes hours to days. The field has never grown big, in part because synthesizing polypeptides is so complicated. NCA has a lot of impurities that are difficult to remove. Until now, the synthesis of high-quality polypeptides required ultrapure NCAs, the author said.
In biological cells, enzymes called ribozymes join amino acids together to form proteins, the senior author said. This process takes place in the presence of water, salt and numerous other molecules. Replicating this process in the laboratory is very difficult, however. Current methods require researchers to use purified NCA molecules and to build the chains in a water-free environment.
Researchers drew inspiration from ribozymes, which excel at making amino acid chains quickly while isolating them from the cellular environment. The team developed a system that mimics the ribozyme function, building the amino acid chains quickly while removing any molecules that could contaminate the system. This allows the researchers to build the desired chains with NCAs that are not pure.
"This is the first time since the discovery of the NCA molecule in 1906 that we have been able to build long chains using non-purified NCA," the author said.
"I worked on NCA purification for several years and found it very painful, because the process required water-free conditions and was technically challenging," said, a member of the lab. "That's why there aren't many research groups working in this field. With this method, we can get more people to join and find more applications."
The method can be used in chemistry, biology and industry, where protein chains are routinely used as building blocks for the assembly of useful molecules, the researcher said.
"Previously, the field required specialized chemists like us to make these building blocks," the author said. "Our new protocol allows anyone with basic chemistry skills to build the desired polypeptides in a few hours."
The researchers are investigating how to scale up the process and explore the full range of chemical and biological applications the new approach allows.
The researchers report their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/795095
https://www.pnas.org/content/116/22/10658
Latest News
Ancient viral DNA in the hu…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
AI to analyze clumping prot…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Reversible, non-hormonal ma…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Dissection of the schizophr…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Protease action on controll…
By newseditor
Posted 25 May
Other Top Stories
Autism genes are in all of us, new research reveals
Read more
Genetic link between renal birth defects and congenital heart disease
Read more
Creation of minimal cell with just the genes needed for independent…
Read more
Mechanism for passing on epigenetic memories
Read more
Inherited gene changes take years off life expectancy
Read more
Protocols
SEMORE: SEgmentation and MO…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Spatially resolved lipidomi…
By newseditor
Posted 24 May
Efficient expansion and CRI…
By newseditor
Posted 21 May
Massively parallel in vivo…
By newseditor
Posted 20 May
Breast cancer-on-chip for p…
By newseditor
Posted 16 May
Publications
Integrating human endogenou…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
The thalamic reticular nucl…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
PMI-controlled mannose meta…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Protein-membrane interactio…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Toward an interventional sc…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar